A man in British Columbia had his dreams come true when he found out he won $1 million playing the lottery. The only problem? He couldn’t get off work to go claim his prize.
After waiting more than two months to be granted leave, Ivan Dubinsky of Port Hardy was finally able to collect his winnings. You see, Dubinsky is a lighthouse keeper. It’s a demanding job that requires him to spend consecutive days of long hours sending out critical weather reports to nearby ships and aircraft.
It’s because of this full-time lifestyle that Dubinsky purchases his lottery tickets on PlayNow.com, a British Columbia online gaming website.
“It’s difficult to buy lottery tickets when you’re at the lighthouse all the time,” Dubinsky said. “You have to be granted leave, and there’s not too many lighthouse keepers available these days.”
Dubinsky first learned of his good fortune last fall in an e-mail from PlayNow.com.
“When I got that e-mail, I couldn’t believe my eyes, I wasn’t sure whether to believe it or not,” he said.
It took Dubinsky two months before he was able to take a leave and go claim his winnings at the local lottery office. Now, he’s looking forward to leaving his lighthouse keeper days behind him.
“I’ll slowly begin the retirement process, give some of my winnings to my brothers and sisters, and possibly buy a home in the north part of Vancouver Island,” said Dubinsky, adding “Though I may still want to be a relief lighthouse keeper.”
SOURCE: VancouverIsAwesome